Module 1

THE STUDY OF PHILOSOPHY AND ETHICS

Philosophy

The term philosophy is taken from two Greek

words, philos’ and sophia which literally mean love of
wisdom. It seeks to find out the true meaning of life
and the importance of it, the desire to understand the
existence of everything.
 Philosophical methods may be used in the study of
any subject or the pursuit of any vocation.
Philosophical training enhances one’s problem-solving
capacities, one’s abilities to understand and express
ideas, and one’s persuasive powers.
 Main Divisions of Philosophy

 Practical Philosophy
 Speculative Philosophy
Speculative Philosophy

It is the division of Philosophy that is primarily

good for contemplative understanding. It provides
knowledge of a subject or area for the sake of
knowledge.
Practical Philosophy

It is the division of Philosophy that is good for

real life application. It provides knowledge to be
used or applied in concrete actions or situations. It
leads to action after knowledge has been acquired.
 Branches of Speculative Philosophy

 Epistemology  Theodicy
 Metaphysics  Rational Philosophy
 Cosmology  Social Philosophy
 Anthropology  Political Philosophy
 Aesthetics
Epistemology

It is the branch of philosophy that deals with the

theory of knowledge –its sources, kinds, and reliability.
It is concerned with the definition, sources and criteria
of knowledge, the kinds of knowledge possible, and
degree to which each is certain.
Metaphysics

It is a branch of philosophy that deals with the

nature of existence. It is customarily divided into
Ontology, which deals with the question of how
many fundamentally distinct sorts of entities
compose the universe, and Metaphysics proper,
which describes the most general traits of reality.
Cosmology

It is the scientific study of the universe on the largest

scales of space and time, particularly the propounding of
theories concerning its origin, nature, structure, and
evolution.
Anthropology

It is the study of man and his destiny. It reflects upon

man in order to understand him in his entirety, grasping
the fundamental principles of his existence in the world
and his behavior.
Aesthetics

It is the philosophical investigation of art, including

all the visual arts, music, literature, drama and dance. It
also deals with the question of whether such qualities
are objectively present in the things they appear to
qualify, or exist only in the mind of the individual.
Theodicy

It is the branch of Philosophy that deals with the study

of Supreme Being defined as both omnipotent and good in
the light of evil in the world.
Rational Philosophy

It is primarily concern with the principles of living

things, especially that of man, focusing mainly on the
relevance of the soul and self-knowledge which arises
from common sense and natural reason.
Social Philosophy

It is a branch of philosophy that deals with the study of

the nature of society, relation between the individual, and
social interaction that takes place in the given community.
Political Philosophy

It is a branch of philosophy that deals with the study of

the ultimate foundation of the state, the nature of
legitimate authority, the form of government, and the
perfect form of society.
 Branches of Practical Philosophy

 Logic
 Ethics
Logic

It is the formal and systematic study of the principles

of valid inference and correct reasoning. It is commonly
known as the art and science of correct thinking.
Ethics

It is a branch of philosophy that deals with the concepts

and principles or morality. It is a normative science of
the conduct of human being living in societies; a science
which judges the conduct to be right or wrong, to be good
or bad.
Difference between Ethics and Morality

Etymologically, there is no difference between ethics

and morality, because both Ethics and Morality comes
form the Latin word mos or moris, which means custom.
For this reason Ethics is also called moral philosophy.
 However, there is a slight difference between ethics
and morality. Ethics provides man with theoretical
knowledge of the morality of human act while morality
actualizes the theory. Morality is nothing else but doing
of ethics.
 Division of Ethics

 General Ethics
 Special Ethics
General Ethics

It presents truths about human acts, and from these

truths deduce the general principles of morality. General
ethics is applied to individual in relation to himself, to
God and to his fellow man.
Special Ethics

This one is applied ethics. It applies to the principles

of general ethics in different departments of human
activity, individual and social. It includes man’s relation
to the family, to the state and to the world.
Importance of Ethics

The importance of the study of ethics follows

immediately form the ethics itself. Ethics means living in
proper way and it is in the development of a good moral
character and virtues that man finds perfection and
understands his purpose of existence.
 The Greek triumvirate, the Christian teachings and
majority of Oriental Philosophers affirmed that the
ultimate purpose of human existences is not acquisition
of material possession, power and prestige not even the
development of intellectual skills but in the development
of moral qualities that make men unique and supreme
from all creation.
 Confucius laid great emphasis on the cultivation of
character, the purity of heart and conduct. He extorted to
the people a good character first, which is a priceless
jewel and which is the best of all virtues.
 According to Immanuel Kant, “Man is a rational
being.” Every action of man must be in accordance with
laws of reason that makes man a moral agent. It is the
duty of man to live a moral life.
 Relationship of Ethics to Other Sciences

 Ethics and Logic  Ethics and Education

 Ethics and Psychology  Ethics and Law
 Ethics and Sociology  Ethics and Art
 Ethics and Economics  Ethics and Political
Science
Ethics and Logic

Logic is the science and art of correct reasoning.

Ethics is the science of good and proper living. But good
living presupposes correct thinking and reasoning. Doing
follows thinking. Lack of knowledge of proper living
leads man to live contrary to the standards and norms
prescribed by the society.
Ethics and Psychology

Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and

cognitive mental process. Both involve the study of man,
human nature, and human behavior. But psychology is
not concerned with the morality of human behavior,
unlike ethics. Psychology investigates how man behaves.
Ethics and Sociology

Sociology is the scientific study of society and culture

while Ethics is concerned with the moral order, which
also includes social order. Society cannot exist if the
people do not comply with the ethical standards. Chaos
and violence will rule and good human relations will
perish.
 Society exists because of the observance of moral laws
that makes sociology dependent on Ethics. Both are
complimentary, norms and cultures of the people which
are the basis of ethical standards of a particular society.
Ethics and Economics

Economics is the proper allocation and efficient use of

available resources for the maximum satisfaction of
human wants. Man indeed is an economic being. He has
to earn a living. His means of livelihood therefore must
be morally acceptable. He must observe justice and
fairness with his fellow being.
Ethics and Education

Education liberates men from ignorance not only from

ethical standards but also from laws that are implemented
by the society. Education is concerned with the total
human development. Through education man becomes
civilized and cultured which guides him to live morally.
Ethics and Law

Laws imposed by the society must be fair, just, and

humane. It must be for the welfare of the majority of the
people and not offensive to morality. There is a
difference between what is moral and what is legal.
 Thee legal covers only the external acts of man; the
moral governs even the internal acts of man, such as the
volitional and intentional activities of the will and mind.
Ethics and Art

Man’s artistic creation must have a noble purpose,

which should not be offensive to morality. A piece of art
should reflect beauty and must inspire every person who
sees it. The question often arises as to when do we
consider an art to be offensive or ugly to morals.
Ethics and Political Science

Political Science is the study of state and government.

Politics covers the administration and management of out
government. Our politician must promote the temporal
welfare of the citizens. Politics is concerned with the
material needs of man while ethics is for the spiritual,
these two are inseparable.
 Politics is not bad at all, if it used properly; the
politicians must set aside their personal interest and rather
promote the general welfare of the citizens. They must
refrain from immoral conducts such as graft and
corruption, bribery, malversation, etc. They must
inculcate in their minds the true meaning of public service
and be the real servant of the people.
References

Corpus, R.M., de la Cruz, R.G., & Tabotabo, C.V.

(2011). Standards of Human Conduct: Ethics for
Filipinos. Quezon City: C & E Publishing Inc.
Corpus, R.M., de la Cruz, R.G., Estoque, R.S., &
Tabotabo, C.V. (2008). Introduction to Logic: A
Modular Approach. Intramuros, Manila:
Mindshapers Co., Inc.
Lombo, J.A., Russo, F. (2014). Philosophical
Anthropology: An Introduction. Illinos: Midwest
Theological Forum
Sheerean, Patrick J. (1983). Ethics in Public
Administration: A Philosophical Approach. Santa
Barbara, CA: Praeger